Breaking a Bad Habit

K.--My daughter used to put her hands in her mouth and bite her nails all the time. One day, I painted my nails. I told her that if she wanted pink fingernails, she'd have to keep her hands out of her mouth. Then, whenever I caught her doing it, I'd remind her about the "pink fingers." For the most part, it worked. She's 3 now and she has long "pink" fingernails.
Good luck! Traci

Hi K.. I don't know if you cant break the habit just yet. I can relate becuase I am a "germ freak" too. I have hand santanizer on my key chain, you can get these most anywhere. I use this all the time on my kids while we are out and about. I also keep plenty around the house.

My 4 year old daughter has been sick quite a bit and my Dr. suggested a probiotic. You can get these at any drug store. I usually open the capsule and put it in yougart or pudding. This is an immune booster and puts the good germs in bodies. HTH

My kiddos are 18, 12 and 6. My 18 year old was the king of "put it in your mouth". He ate a spider. He ate a pillbug (doodle bug). He constantly had his hands in his mouth. He grew up to be healthy and fine. There are also studies that show that kids who are exposed to common germs, etc. build up a nice, heatlhy immune system and end up healthier than those who are protected from "every little thing". The best thing you can do is be reasonable--don't let kids lick the bottom of their shoes or the handles of the grocery cart. Otherwise, they will be fine. Don't be a nervous wreck! It'll be ok!

My son used to do it. I bought the ick stuff you put on finger nails to stop biting them. He's a freak, he LIKED the flavor!!! Try painting her nails her favorite color and maybe she will stop.

Hello K. my name is S. and i have two girls name aire'yana & anyah my little girl anyah puts both of her fingers in her mouth also and she a;ways get sick so i now do this i stay on her like clue i mean her father and i will like try to take mind off of it like play games with them eat ice cream then we'll try to express to them like where germs come from and tell her it's real nasty to put fingers in your mouth i mean it do get kind of hard like when we're in the car and i go and look back her fingers are in her mouth but i just stay on her and try to keep her fingers out it's helpin alittle but when they get alot older they'll under stand why we are doin this.

K.-my name is C.. i'm a nurse, and it's gonna sound really terrible, but put vinegar on her fingers. (if something tastes bad, kids don't put it in their mouths! and vinegar isn't bad for her, so it won't hurt her

K., you're getting more responses from fellow germ-aholics, but I feel that in this case, Susan H is a bit more on the money, tho there is always SOME protection you should offer. I do feel (along with many doctors) that children SHOULD be exposed to some germs. If you look at this as an allergist would (someone who treats allergies) then you will see that giving small doses of some germs actually does build immunity to that germ.

A little sniffle now is much more preferable to a full blown case of a sickness later.

Don't protect your child from 'every little bug' for the health of that child only to find that every single germ attacks and wins.

hello there,
i imagine you already wash your childs hands often...that would be my first thought...i never had to deal with this problem so i am just throwing out ideas...but i know they sell this nail polish type stuff for nails so you dont bite them..it dries clear like polish but has a unpleasant taste to it....i bought it for my husband ...i imagine it would be fine for kids since its meant for people who bite thier nails..(although please dont quote me..lol..check with the doctor or nurseline, if you are concerned)i believe i found it in the section with the fake nails and such at a local drug store...other than that, i can only think to suggest talking to her about it and why its not good to do(in kid phrasing)i think its important to explain why(even if she cant fully understand)so she doesnt think she is being bad or that you are cross with her...or possibly to do a reward system for not putting her hands in her mouth... as far as boosting immune system,i really have no idea about that one...but if you find something that works for you,please let me know...lol .i think my sons preschool is doing tests on mutating wierd viruses..lol..take care..good luck..R.

Probably the most important thing to do is to teach her about handwashing. Don't go overboard with stressing about germs to her, though. I have a BIL with severe OCD because my MIL is a germaphobe.

I also agree that some exposure to germs is healthy. There are a lot of studies out about that.

Sodium ascorbate is a good immune system booster. You can get it powdered at most health food stores, and mix it into drinks and stuff. It's a form of Vitamin C.

I would be a lot more afraid of the hand sanitizer than the germs themselves, between the nasty chemicals and the damage to the skin, actually leaving you more susceptable to germs entering.

Are all her molars in yet? That could be why she's chewing on the fingers.

K.,
Hello fellow "germ Freak." I may be a bit more freak than you! In the winter time I try and stay FAR AWAY from stores and such so as to avoid the germs. I WILL NOT open a public door with my bare hands. If I do have to go to a store I take an extra 10 minutes just to wipe down the cart with the wipes I make and bring. There a to more things, but I will not go into all of them since this is about trying to help you. First, at this stage of the game you may not be able to do much but a gentle quick reminder that "We do not put our hands in our mouth to keep us from getting sick." and simply continue to take them out of her mouth. It is such a hard thing because it is very natural at this age. Not just the mouth, but the entire face!(in the nose, ears, eyes)

First... to your question of how to boost their immune system. There are so many ways to do this. Blueberries will help greatly. You can go to any Whole Food Store or Natural Market place and find millions of products to help your child with this. If you would like to know the things that I do for the kids, feel free to email me. I would love to chat with you further about that!
Lets talk about your Multivitamin. You need to be weary of vitamins! First because of the ingredients like Artificial flavor, color and preservatives. Also, you could be wasting your money with the ones you are buying. Most vitamins on the market have a very low absorption rate. Make sure the vitamin is some form of a WHOLE FOOD vitamin. Also make sure that it is not only a Multi, but also has essential minerals and nutrients. Through history it has been shown that our foods (whether Organic or not) simply just do not carry the amount of minerals, nutrients, sugars and vitamins that our body requires to stay healthy. This is why supplements are so essential to our health. There is a study that shows were they found Woman One A Day vitamins in the sewers and you could still read "One A Day" on them. Now, as far as the Probiotic. Here is the scoop on that. This is how I have told my kids about it and what they tell others. Your gut.... is made up of good bacteria and bad bacteria. Probiotics are the good bacteria. Lets call the bacteria... soldiers. So, you have good soldiers and you have bad soldiers. When you take probiotics you are increasing the good soldiers allowing them to fight off the bad soldiers. This in turn helps with your digestion. Better digestion leads to better absorption of minerals, nutrients, vitamins and sugars that our bodies require. Our entire family takes probiotics (among other things)everyday. I also use a tsp of it in my daughters bath once a week. She takes 1/2 tsp of Acidophilus in her morning milk each morning.
Sanitizer.... VERY good idea. Be leery of them though! MOST sanitizers contain pesticides as well as artificial color. You put it on your hands and it soaks right into your skin, that could be more damaging then the germs themselves. Again, any Whole Food Store, Natural Market place and Even Safeway's Natural/Organic will carry safe ones.

Anyway, I hope this helps you out some. I have enjoyed trying to help you as I have been researching all this information over the past 5 years and am Loving providing my children, family and friends with the best information and products I can. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or help with anything! Good Luck.
Jenn
SAHM ~ Mama to Bryce~9 Austin~6 Taylor~14 mnths
Step Mama to Nich~15 Christian~14
Jenn Parker - Love, Laugh, Live! Dedicated to
making life and health worth remembering.

I sucked my thumb for many years. My mom tried everything. I figured out at a very young age that I loved hot stuff. LOL, so that blew that out the window. As I got older, I learned you get made fun of by the other kids if you suck your thumb. So I stopped. I only sucked it when I was sick or really tired. Then later, it got to where I didn't even think about putting it in my mouth at all. I didn't get an over bite, I don't have crooked teeth, I have no physical deformities over the thumb sucking. I was like most children, I needed that security blanket.
I did get colds, but that was mostly from the school kids, or my older brother n sister who brought the cold home to me. I wasn't licking the toilet seats or anything. I didn't get the flu more than a few times.
What I'm saying is don't worry about. That is easier for me to say than for you to do. If your that obsessed about germs, then purchase (can't remember name brand) it's a germ killer you put on your hands, in place of washing. Carry it with you and apply it to your childs hands. It don't have a bad taste, and it wont hurt her if she puts her hands in her mouth.
Also don't sweat it. Your child will grow up to be a healthy child. A little dirt never hurt.
Good luck!
p.s. Purell is the name of the hand sanitizer.

I was always told put just a dab of red hot hot sauce on them and after she puts them in her mouth once she wont ever do it again

Hi! My daughter is 3&1/2 now and is the queen of fingers(and things) in her mouth. I also Swore to the fact that that is why she is almost constantly sick. Actually, we found out, the reason she is always sick is a combination of lack of ear drainage and allergies. She has allergies, all year, and because her ears didn't used to drain properly(we had to get tubes) she has been sick almost dince her one month check up. I asked her Pediatrician about the fingers in mouth thing, and she says not to worry, as long as it's her fingers and nothing harmful. We haven't found a solution to keeping them out(yet), but we do wipe her hands CONSTANTLY with wipes, or wash them in the kitchen or bathroom. LOL, I also tried lotion, thinking she'd hate the taste to no avail. I also am a SAHM, so as long as you do your best there, she will be fine. This morning, after her preschool class, the directress remarked that ALL of the 3 yr. olds had their fingers in their mouth all day. Every time she turned around, BUT that they were all feeling the massive weather changes we've been experiencing. As a fellow germ a phobe, I feel your need to control, but I have discovered this is a constant war, not a battle to be won. Good luck!

Relax! Let her put her fingers in her mouth if it makes her feel better. Unless you're letting her crawl around on the floor of a public restroom, she's not going to get horribly sick by having a security blanket. That's what sucking her fingers is.

Her getting sick a lot doesn't have anything to do with her putting her fingers in her mouth, but she may need the security of her fingers in her mouth if she gets sick a lot. If this is her first year in preschool, she's pretty much going to be constantly sick.

Wash your doorknobs and teach everyone in the house to sneeze and cough into their elbows. Other than that, if this is the worst thing she puts in her mouth, don't worry about it!